How Princess Di Became An Eagles Fan

Twenty years after her death, Princess Diana still captivates the world with her legacy of philanthropy and charity. As good a person as she was a beautiful and fashionable one, she was adored by not only Brits, but by people all over the globe. As she was often photographed, Princess Di’s attire often made headlines, much the way that Princess Kate’s does today. There is a famous photo of Diana in a Philadelphia Eagles jacket. How did the
“People’s Princess” come to be a fan of the Iggles, a whole ocean away from Buckingham Palace? It’s an interesting story.

Princess Di was fond of her custom-made Eagles jacket, which was a gift from the team. (AP Photo: Press Association: Michael Stephens)

Diana first learned about the NFL team at the funeral of someone with whom she had a lot in common: fellow commoner-turned-royal Princess Grace of Monaco. Before Grace married Prince Rainier of Monaco and became a princess, she was a Hollywood movie star. And, before that, she was just a normal (albeit extremely lovely) girl growing up in the City of Brotherly Love. At her funeral, Princess Di was introduced to Jack Edelstein, the statistician for the Eagles. Knowing nothing about American football, she asked Edelstein to explain the sport to her. She thought it sounded like soccer, he said. And when she asked him what the team colors were, he replied “green and silver.” Diana remarked that those were her favorite colors!

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Edelstein promised to send her some T-shirts. The Eagles acted quickly, gathering a package of workout shorts, golf shirts, and caps adorned with Eagles logos to send her. “We also sent her a beautiful Eagles jacket, made for her. It was Leonard Tose’s idea. He never went second class,” Edelstein said of the then-team owner. “She sent me a very nice note, how she’d been wearing them around.” A decade later, Princess Di was photographed wearing the jacket out in public. A photo of her in the jacket made the cover of People magazine in 1994. Jeffrey Lurie, who had bought the team a month earlier, had a print of the photo blown up and made into a poster for his office.

Princess Di admired Princess Grace and her down-to-earth roots. For the two princesses, the Eagles were a bridge between them, a link to their common, ordinary background. And even today, Philadelphia can brag that Princess Di loved the Eagles.